You Can Do Better Than Him
by skysky15
Summary: Olivia has a date with someone. Elliot thinks she can do much better than the guy. But who does Elliot really want Olivia to go out with? Not really a good summary, but the story is good! Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line!
1. Chapter 1

**Forgive the grammatical errors, I am uploading this on my phone, but I just didn't want to forget it before I got a chance to post it!**

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"You have a date with Langan?" Elliot asked, bursting into the locker room.

Olivia turned to look at him, slipping the back onto one of her earrings, " Yes Elliot, believe it or not, I have a life that does not include you and this job," she said, slipping on a pair of killer heels.

" But Langan? Really?" Elliot asked. " You can do a million times better than that dick," he added, leaning against his locker.

" Well, I'll make a deal with you. You go find me this fantastic guy that is a million times better than Trevor and I will give him a shot, ok? But in the meantime I have a date," she said, stepping around him and heading for the door.

" I already found him," Elliot said, grabbing her hand as she passed him.

" Who?" She asked. " And I've already tried Dean, in case that's who you were referring to," she added quickly.

Ellopt gave her a disgusted look," You went out with Porter?" He asked, his face contorting with shock.

Olivia sighed," It was a dark time in my life," she deadpanned. "Now, would you care to fill me in on this incredible guy that you have convinced to go on a date with me?" she asked.

"Me," Elliot answered simply.

Olivia chuckled,"Are you on drugs? Do I need to look through your car for illegal substances? Or did you just happen to forget the fact that you're married?" she asked.

"Not anymore," Elliot said, smirking.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him as she noticed the lack of a ring on his left hand," Care to explain?" She asked curiously.

Elliot sighed, siting down on a bench," Not particularly," he said.

Olivia sat down next to him," You ok?" She asked.

" She was cheating on me," Elliot said softly.

Olivia's widened and she wrapped him in a hug, not giving it a second thought," El, I'm so sorry," she said softly.

Elliot shook his head, but didn't pull away," Its ok, I should have known," he mumbled.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Olivia asked curiously.

" It wasn't important," Elliot said simply.

" You divorcing your wife, the mother of your 5 children is not important enough to tell me about?" Olivia questioned, pulling away.

Elliot cleared his throat," Four," he corrected.

"What?" Olivia asked, shock contorting her features.

"Eli isn't, he isn't mine," Elliot said quietly.

"God, Elliot I am so sorry," Olivia said, pulling him back into her embrace.

"I have something I need to tell you, Liv," Elliot said, pulling away so he could look into her chocolate eyes.

" What?" Olivia asked, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

" I'm not sorry that it happened. I mean, I'm sorry that my kids had to go through it, but I'm not sorry that we are got divorced. I didn't love her anymore, and Lord knows guck didn't fucking love me anymore," Elliot started, clearly fuming. He cleared his throat as he continued," What I'm trying to explain, to, to say here Liv is that I've been in love with someone else for years," Elliot said.

Olivia hid the sadness with a clearing of her throat," It's great that you've found someone already, but maybe you should slow down. You just got out of a failed marriage, you don't want to rush into a relationship," she said.

" It's you, Liv," Elliot blurted out.

" Wha-What?" Olivia stuttered.

" It's you, Liv. It's always been you. I just didn't want to admit it. You are the most caring, kind, bad ass, beautiful woman I have ever met. Probably in the entire world. And I fell in love with you. It's hard not to fall in love with you, Liv. You're just so damn lovable and I'm sorry if this ruiare our friendship, or our partnership, but I just had to tell you," Elliot said quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth. Olivia was speechless. Elliot shook his head," Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have told you," he said. Olivia didn't say anything, but simply leaned forward, connecting their lips in a kiss she'd waited years for.

Olivia smirked as she pulled away," I guess I should cancel that date with Trevor," she said quietly, resting her forehead against Elliot's.

"Damn right," Elliot said, chuckling.

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**What'd you think?**

** Do you want a second chapter?**

**Let me know! **


	2. Chapter 2

"Trevor, yeah, I'm sorry. I, I don't think that I'm going to be able to make it tonight. Yeah, I'm sorry. No, I don't think we should reschedule. No, that's not-you're a nice guy Trevor, you'll find someone. I'm just not that someone. Ok, yeah, I'll talk to you some other time. Bye," Olivia said, hanging up her phone and sitting back down on the bench next to Elliot.

"How'd he take it?" Elliot asked.

Olivia sighed,"He was upset," she started,"And pissed," she added quickly. "But it's understandable. This is the fourth time I've called off a date with him in the past week," she said.

Elliot chuckled,"I'd say I feel bad for him, but he's a dick, and I don't," he said.

Olivia laughed, pulling her work clothes back out of her locker,"I'm sure he would say the same thing if the positions were switched," she said, heading for the bathroom to change.

"Where are you going?" Elliot asked curiously.

"There's no reason to waste this dress on going home to sit on my couch and watch reruns of Charmed until I fall asleep, I'm going to change," Olivia said over her shoulder.

Elliot jumped up, catching Olivia just before she made it to the bathroom door,"Wait, I thought I was taking you out," he said, more like a question then a statement.

Olivia turned around, a small smile playing on her lips,"You really want to take me out on a date?" she asked.

"I thought I've already made it perfectly clear that I want to take you out, on several dates," Elliot said.

Olivia smiled, walking back to her locker and putting her work clothes back in,"Well then, where are we going, Detective Stabler?" she asked, grabbing her clutch before she closed the door to her locker.

Elliot smiled as he placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her out of the locker room and towards the elevator,"Wherever you want to go," he answered simply.

"Well-" Olivia started.

"Olivia!" a man called, heading down the hallway towards the two detectives.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Elliot mumbled under his breath.

"Dean," Olivia said, sounding less than excited as the agent stopped in front of her.

Dean pulled her into a hug quickly, surprising her,"It's been too long," he said into her hair.

Olivia pushed him away,"Not long enough," she corrected.

Dean chuckled, tucking a strand of her behind her ear delicately,"I missed you, Livvie," he said quietly.

Olivia could see Elliot out of the corner of her eye, turning red with anger,"Dean, we went on one date, almost 6 months ago. You need to move on," she said as the doors to the elevator opened. She quickly stepped inside, pulling Elliot in with her and hitting the button to close the door rapidly, leaving Dean standing in the middle of the hallway, shocked.

Olivia sighed in relief and hit the ground floor button,"Who the fuck does he think he is? And what the hell was he talking about? You dated that creep?" Elliot ranted, pacing the length of the elevator with clenched fists. "How could you let him touch you like that? You let him hug you!" he continued.

Olivia rolled her eyes,"Calm down," she said, stepping in his path and placing her hands on his shoulders comfortingly."Yes, I went on one date with him, a long time ago. I have no clue what the fuck he was thinking just showing up here after leaving and not calling for months, thinking I would just be waiting for him whenever the hell he decided to come back. Yes, he hugged me, but I pushed him away, and yes he touched me, and to be honest, it made me sick," she explained.

Elliot shook her hands off his shoulder, continuing to pace around her,"I can't believe...that arrogant asshole...you're not going to...how could he even think that you would..." he continued to rant.

Olivia huffed, beginning to get frustrated,"Elliot, you need to calm down. Nothing happened, and even if anything would have, it wouldn't have been any of your damn business. Up until, I don't even know how long ago, you were married, and you didn't even care to tell me you got divorced until tonight, therefore whatever happened between me and him is and was none of your business. The point is, though, that I am on my way to a date, with you, right now, but that doesn't make me your property," she said sternly.

Elliot stopped pacing, finally seeing the frustration in her eyes, and took a deep breath,"I'm sorry, Liv. I know you're not mine. I just, it pisses me off to see you with other guys, even when I was married it pissed me off," he said simply.

"How do you think I felt seeing you with Kathy?" Olivia asked, stepping off the elevator and walking towards her car, not bothering to look back to make sure he was following her.

Elliot chuckled, walking up next to her and matching her pace,"Liv, you never saw me with Kathy. I was always with you. She never wanted to go to any of the NYPD functions, and-" Elliot started.

Olivia stopped, turning to face him,"But I knew, I knew everytime you left here, you were going home. To be with her, and that shouldn't have bothered me, because she's your wife, and I'm just your partner, but it did bother me. I absolutely hated it," she admitted.

Elliot smiled at her,"Yeah, I was going home, but not to her. I went home every night to a few hours of sleep, usually on the couch, until I was woken up to come back here, with you, which I'm not complaining about," he said.

Olivia shook her head as she got into the driver's seat of her car,"El, you-" she started, only to be interrupted by her phone ringing. She quickly pulled it out of her clutch and answered."Benson. Katie? Sweeite, slow down, I can't understand you," she said calmly. Her eyes widened at what she heard next,though, and she immediately started the car,"Get her in the car and drive her to the hospital. Me and your dad will meet you there. It's ok, sweetie, everything is going to be ok, but she needs to get to the hospital," Olivia said, pulling out of her parking spot quickly. "I'll see you there, honey," she said, hanging up.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked, buckling his seatbelt.

"Lizzie ate some peanut butter cookies," Olivia answered," With peanuts in them," she added quickly, changing lanes.

"Why the hell would she do that? She knows that she is allergic to them!" Elliot exclaimed.

"Well, I doubt that she realized what they were, but the point is that she's unconscious now, Kathleen is taking her to the hospital, and I told her we would meet her there," Olivia said, hiding the panic that was inside of her, for Elliot's sake.

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**Is Lizzie ok? Are Elliot and Olivia ever going to get that date? We'll see next time! **

**But for now, what did you think of this chapter?**

**Also, I'm going to start doing some one-word one-shots, so if you have any requests, let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update, guys. Things have been pretty hectic for me lately. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Happy Thanksgiving!**

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****Olivia and Elliot rushed into the hospital, flashing their badges at the first nurse they could find and asking where Lizzie Stabler was. The nurse quickly pointed them in the right direction, and they were flying through the door to the room that Lizzie was in within 30 seconds. Kathleen looked up as her father and Olivia burst into the room and she immediately jumped up, rushing into Olivias open arms,"Thank God," she exclaimed, burying her face in Olivias shoulder. "God, I didn't mean for her to eat the cookies. I just baked them and then left them out to cool while I went to check on Dickie and his homework. I came back and she was on the floor. A whole cookie was missing. She ate a whole cookie, Liv! You know how allergic she is to nuts!" Kathleen cried.

Olivia rubbed her back calmly,"Sweetie, this wasn't your fault. It was just an accident. Lizzie is going to be just fine," she assured her.

"No, Liv, it's all my fault!" Kathleen continued through her tears.

Olivia shook her head,"Kat, this is not your fault. You can't blame yourself for this," she insisted, watching Elliot make his way to where Lizzie was laying on the bed, unconscious. She watched as he took her hand.

"Has the doctor said anything, yet?" Elliot asked.

Kathleen pulled away from Olivia, keeping her arm looped around her waist, and her head on her shoulder,"He said he would be back in to check on her in a few minutes. He said they had her stabilizes, and that he thought she would be just fine. They wouldn't be sure until she woke up, though," she informed them.

Olivia nodded, brushing her hair out of her face gently,"See sweetie, she's going to be just fine," she assured the shaken blonde.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry. You told me to watch them, and, and this happens. I'm sorry, I understand if you don't trust me to watch them anymore," Kathleen apologized, sniffling.

Elliot turned his head, giving her a soft smile,"It's ok Katie, it was just an accident. I know that," he said.

Kathleen looked down at the dress Olivia was wearing,"Liv, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get in the way of your date. You can go now, if you want. I'm ok with daddy here," she said.

Olivia smiled, giving Elliot a knowing look,"It's ok, sweetie. I'll stay here with you guys. Wheres Dickie?" She asked.

"I left him at home. I should probably go call him an tell him that everything is ok," Kathleen said, sounding more confident as she pulled out her cellphone and headed into the hallway to make her call Back home.

Olivia sighed, walking over to Elliot and standing behind him, bending over to wrap her arms around his neck,"You ok?" She asked.

Elliot nodded, linking their fingers and bringing her around to sit in the chair next to him, practically on top of him,"Im fine. I just hope she wakes up soon," he said.

Olivia nodded,"Me too, babe, me too," she agreed.

Elliot looked at her, a big smile plastered on his face,"You called me babe," he said.

Olivia chuckled,"What's your point? I thought we were sort of, together now," she questioned.

Elliot smiled, "We are absolutely together," he said, leaning in to place a sweet kiss to her lips.

"Daddy? Livvie?" Lizzie questioned.

Olivia pulled away quickly,"Hey sweetie," she said nonchalantly, smiling at the young teen.

"Were you guys just,like, making out?" Lizzie asked.

Elliot laughed as Olivia blushed,"No, sweetie, we weren't making out," he said.

"But you were kissing," Lizzie insisted.

"Yes, we were. I didn't exactly wan you to find out this soon, or like this, but me and Liv have decided to give a relationship a try," Elliot informed his youngest daughter.

"If you're ok with that," Olivia added.

"Of course I'm ok with it!" Lizzie exclaimed, coughing after her squeal. Olivia quickly grabbed the cup of water of the table by Lizzies bed and brought the straw to her lips.

"Sip," Olivia instructed.

Lizzie did as she was told,"Thankyou," she said as Olivia pulled the cup as way and placed it back on the table."Anyway, of course I'm ok with it. You know I love you, Livvie. We all love you," Lizzie said, smiling.

Olivia beamed,"I love you too, sweetheart," she said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek softly.

"Dickie said he hopes she," Kathleen started, walking back into the too. Her eyes widened as she saw Lizzie was awake,"You're ok!" She exclaimed, running to bed and throwing her arms around her younger sister."Thank God!" She added.

Olivia smiled, leaning into Elliot,"Sisterly love," she mumbled.

Elliot smiled,"They do love each other. They also love you," he stated, kissing the top of her head.

"Wait, what?" Kathleen said, noticing the intimate gesture.

"Livvie and daddy are dating!" Lizzie exclaimed.

A smile broke out on Kathleen's face,"Really?" She asked hopefully.

Olivia nodded,"Yeah, really," she confirmed.

Kathleen moved her arms from around Lizzie to around Olivia,"Yay!" She squealed.

Olivia chuckled as the blonde pulled away,"Im so happy! Now you can really be our mom," Kathleen said, beaming.

"Woah, Kat, lets just slow down here. We-" Elliot started.

"What?" a shocked voice asked from the doorway.

"Kathy?" Elliot questioned, seeing his exwife standing in the doorway.

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**Well, what'd ya think? I promise, Olivia and Elliot get their date next chapter! After a little Kathy drama, of course.**

**I finally got a twitter, too. Follow me at SkylarEdwards97. I also got a Tumblr. You can follow me there also at skylaredwards97.**


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell happened? We're you too busy trying to get in your slutty partner's pants to notice our daughter passing out?" Kathy asked furiously, storming to the other side of Lizzie's bed."Are you ok, sweetie?" She asked.

"Kathy-" Elliot started.

"Mom, dad and Liv were at work when it happened. And you have no room to talk anyway. How many times did Lizzie have an allergic reaction without you knowing, because you were too busy cheating on dad in his own bed?" Kathleen asked, furiously.

"Kathleen, you better watch how you talk to me. I am your mother an you have no right to disrespect me like that. You have no clue what it was like-" Kathy started.

"No clue what it's like what mom? To be married to a man who is faithful to you, even though he is madly in love with someone else? To have your kids raise themselves? To cheat on your husband and the father of 4 of your children with a man that you don't even know the last name of? Please explain to me how horrible your life is, mom, cause I'm just not seeing it." Kathleen spat.

"Kathleen!" Kathy exclaimed.

"Sorry, Kathy, but I've had enough of your self pity, boohoo poor me shit. Dad, Liv, I'm going to go to the cafeteria and get Lizzie some Jello and you guys some coffee. Text me when she's gone," Kathleen said, storming out of he room.

The hurt look on Kathy's face was unmistakable,"Can you believe she said that?" She asked.

"Yes, Kathy, I can. Everything she said was true, however, what you said was not true. Liv is in no way slutty. She is the kindest, most caring person I have ever met, and even if she was slutty, you have no right to call her that. She could sleep with half of the men in manhattan and still not be half of the slut you are. You want to know why? Because she isn't married, unlike you. Now, frankly, all you've done is start trouble ever since you got here and I don't think Lizzie really needs or want you here right now. So why don you just leave?" Elliot ranted.

Kathy walked to the door silently,"You know, Elliot, I really did love you. Of you just would have left your bitch of a partner when I asked you to, we could still be married right now. And Eli would be yours," she said, opening the door.

"Kathy, I have no interest in being with you any more. I haven't for a long time. Now leave," Elliot ordered. Kathy left, throwing a glare at Olivia as the door swung closed behind her. Elliot turned back to Olivia and Lizzie,"Lizzie, I'm sorry you had to witness that, and Liv I'm sorry you had to hear all that," he apologized.

"It's ok, daddy. I'm really just glad she's gone now," Lizzie said, turning to Olivia,"Liv, you're not A slut," she assured her.

Olivia smiled, "Thankyou sweetie," she said.

"So, were you guys on your way to dinner?" Lizzie asked.

Olivia nodded,"But it's ok, we can go out any time," she assured her.

"No, you guys go ahead. The probably won't release me until tomorrow, and I have Katie here with me. You guys go ahead," Lizzie said.

"Liz-" Olivia started.

"No, really. Go. Please. Do it for me. I want you guys to go," Lizzie said.

Olivia sighed and looked at Elliot who was smiling,"Ok, we will be back in a few hours," she said, kissing Lizzie's cheek before standing up.

"Call me if you need anything. Love you," Elliot said, kissing Lizzie's forehead before following Olivia out of the room. He accidentally ran into Olivia when she suddenly stopped in front of him in the parking lot. She turned around quickly, kissing him fully,"What was that for?" Elliot asked when she pulled away, lacing her fingers with his and continuing the walk towards the car.

"For sticking up for me. You didn't have to do that, but you did. And the things you said we're really sweet. Thankyou," she said, getting into the car on the passenger side.

Elliot got into the drivers seat and leaned across the console, kissing her swiftly before starting the car,"No need to thank me," he said.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the restaurant. They walked in hand in hand and asked for a booth, both sliding into the same side of the table. They ordered their drinks and Elliots arm found its way around Olivias shoulder as they shared a menu. "We're that couple," Olivia said, chuckling and shaking her head after they had ordered their food.

"What couple?" Elliot asked curiously.

"That sickeningly adorable, deliriously happy couple that can't keep their hands off of each other," Olivia replied, shaking her head again as she laced their fingers together under the table.

"I don't have to keep my hands off of you now, so why would I?" Elliot asked, kissing her neck.

Olivia chuckled,"I never said I wanted you to, I was just making an observation," she said.

"We could just skip dinner," Elliot said, kissing her neck again.

"You really are just trying to get into my pants, aren't you Stabler?" Olivia asked jokingly.

Elliot immediately stopped his actions," No, Liv, not at all. I was just joking. Not that I don't want to-" he rambled.

Olivia silenced him with a sweet kiss,"I was just kidding, El," she said, smiling.

"Well, it wasn't funny," Elliot pouted, a smile threatening to break through.

"Put on your big boy pants and man up, Stabler," Olivia said, smiling at him As their food was delivered. they ate in silence and Elliot insisted on paying.

"You know, Im paying next time," Olivia said as they walked back to the car.

"I don't think so," Elliot said, shaking his head.

"El, I'm at least paying half," Olivia insisted.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Elliot said, not wanting to argue . They both climbed into the car and Olivia leaned across the console, giving him a heated kiss.

"Thankyou for dinner," Olivia said, pulling away.

"No problem," Elliot replied, pulling her face back towards his. She willingly let his tongue slip into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

"Fucking hell," Elliot said, pulling away to answer his phone. "Hello?" he answered.

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**What'd ya think? Who called Elliot?**

**Follow me on twitter (SkylarEdwards97) and Tumblr (skylaredwards97)!**


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Elliot hung up his phone, they were flying in the direction of the hospital. "Woah, El, who was that?" Olivia asked.  
"Lizzie. Kathy is trying to convince the doctors to let her take Lizzie home with her," Elliot said, passing a car.  
"They won't let her take her home, El, you know that. They want to keep her over night, they won't let anyone take her home," Olivia stated, trying to calm him down before he crashed the car. Elliot didn't reply as he pulled into a parking spot in front I the hospital. Elliot and Olivia both hopped out of the car and Elliot started to run ahead, stopping when Olivia grabbed his hand. "El, you need to be calm when you go in there. Everything is going to be ok, but if you go in there all frazzled and freaked out, Kathy is going to make a bigger deal out of this just to fuck with you," she said, beginning to walk again, at a quick pace, but not running, and keeping her left hand joined with his right. The couple walked into Lizzie's hospital room to find Kathy yelling at the doctor and a nurse,"What do you mean I can't? She's my daughter! I can take her home if I want to! Now, get me the fucking release forms!"  
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. We need to keep her overnight for observation," the doctor replied calmly.  
"She doesn't need-" Kathy yelled.  
"Kathy!" Elliot yelled, cutting her off.  
Everyone's head turned towards the couple, who were standing by the door,"Daddy! Livvie!" Lizzie exclaimed, looking relieved. Olivia dropped Elliot's hand and moved to stand next to Lizzie's bed, while Elliot made his way over to Kathy and the doctor.  
"Kathy, you can't take her home with you, and you know it. Besides the fact that they are keeping her over night, you don't have custody of the kids! You gave that up! So, you can just match your ass back home to your boyfriend and leave us the hell alone," Elliot spat. Kathy went to reply, but decided against it, choosing instead to storm out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. The doctor and nurse followed her path out the door, not saying anything, merely shaking their heads. Elliot turned to Lizzie, who was clutching Olivia's hand tightly. "Sweetie I'm so sorry," he said, coming to stand beside Olivia.  
Lizzie shook her head,"It's ok. It's not your fault," she said.  
"How are you feeling, honey?" Olivia asked, sitting down in the chair that Elliot had pulled up to the side of the bed, and jumping up in surprise when she sat on Elliot's lap, instead of the chair. Elliot chuckled, pulling her back down onto his lap.  
"Ok. I would just go home if I could," Lizzie replied.  
Olivia nodded,"I know sugar, you can go home tomorrow," she said, giving her a soft smile.  
"Where's Kathleen?" Elliot asked curiously.  
"She went home to get Dickie," Lizzie replied.  
Olivia nodded and checked her watch,"It's late sweetie, why don't you get some rest? We will stay here with you tonight, and your dad can take you home tomorrow before we go to work," she said.  
Lizzie nodded,"Okay," she said, settling back into her bed and letting her eyes drift shut.  
"I'm just gonna tell Katie to stay home," Elliot said, pulling out his phone and shooting his daughter a quick text.  
Olivia yawned,"I'm exhausted," she said, standing up and pulling another of the chairs up beside Elliot's. "While you're taking Lizzie home tomorrow, I'll go back to my apartment and get changed," she said, sitting down.  
"Ok," Elliot said, leaning over the arms of their chairs to place a kiss to her lips,"Thankyou for being here with me tonight," he said, resting his forehead against hers.  
Olivia smiled,"No problem, El. You know I love these kids," she said.  
Elliot smiled and leaned forward again, giving her a chaste kiss,"I'm going to take you out tomorrow night," he said.  
"El, you just took me out tonight," Olivia said.  
Elliot shook his head,"Oh no, that was on very short notice. You have yet to see what I'm capable of," he said with a wink.  
"You know, you don't have to take me out all the time to impress me. We could eat Chinese food on my couch in sweats for all I care," Olivia said.  
Elliot nodded,"I know, but I want to impress you."  
Olivia smiled, kissing him again,"Goodnight, El," she said, leaning back in her chair. Elliot sat there for a minute, before standing up, lifting Olivia, sitting down in her chair, and lowering her into his lap.  
"Much better," Elliot said, closing his eyes. Olivia shook her head, but laid her head on Elliot's chest, letting the sound of his heartbeat settle her into a peaceful sleep. Little did she know, though, that life wouldn't be so peaceful when she woke up.


	6. Chapter 6

**So, it's been a while since I updated, but things are finally starting o settle down for me, so I should get back on a weekly update schedule. Also, I would just like to say thank you to anyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story. You guys are awesome! I hope everyone has a great year! **

**XOXO**

**Skylar**

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Olivia woke up to her phone ringing,"Benson," she answered groggily.

"Liv," Kathleen said.

Olivia's eyes opened, she was now fully awake,"Yeah, sweetheart?" she questioned.

"Kathy is sitting outside the house," Kathleen replied.

Olivia checked her watch and sat up, waking Elliot,"Has she tried to come in?" Olivia asked as she slipped the heels that had fallen off during her sleep, back on her feet.

"No, she's just sitting there, staring at the house. I just woke up, so I don't know how long she's been there," Kathleen replied, watching her mother out the window.

"Well, she's not hurting anything, sweetie. Just get ready for school and get Dickie up. We are going to get your sister discharged, and then we will be there, ok?" she asked, standing up and motioning to the nurse that had come in to check on Lizzie for the discharge papers.

The nurse nodded, heading out of the room as Kathleen replied,"Ok, see you soon," she said, hanging up.

Olivia hung up as Elliot stood up, stretching,"Work?" he questioned.

"No, that was Kathleen. Kathy is sitting in her car outside of your house, just staring at it, apparently. I told her that as long as she didn't try to come in, she wasn't doing anything wrong. I just told her to get Dickie up and get ready for school, and we would be there soon," Olivia replied. The nurse brought the discharge papers straight to Elliot, handing him a pen as well. Elliot quickly signed them while Olivia woke Lizzie.

"Livvie?" Lizzie questioned, squinting at the bright lights of the hospital room.

"Yeah, sweetie, come on. We are going to take you home," Olivia replied. Lizzie sighed as she threw the covers off of her, grabbing her clothes and silently heading for the bathroom to change out of her hospital gown. Elliot walked up behind Olivia as she was situating the chairs back the way they were and picking up her clutch.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a single kiss to her neck. "I have court this morning, but I think I'm going to take the afternoon off to plan our date tonight," he said.

Olivia turned to look at him with a smile,"What are you planning, Stabler?" she asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Elliot replied, kissing her cheek.

Olivia rolled her eyes, but turned around in his arms, placing her own arms around his neck,"Are you sending Lizzie to school?" she asked.

Elliot sighed,"I thought I would let her decide. If she feels like it, she can go. If not, then she can stay home," he relied.

"So, she's going to school today," Olivia replied with a chuckle as Lizzie came out of the bathroom."Hey, sweetie do you want to go to school today?" Olivia asked, extracting herself from Elliot's arms.

"Yeah," Lizzie replied, slipping on his shoes. The three made their way to the car and were at the house within 20 minutes.

"Hurry up and head up stairs to get ready for school. We are leaving in half an hour," Elliot announced as they walked in the front door.

"I think I'm going to go talk to Kathy," Olivia said, placing a soft kiss to Elliot's lips.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Olivia nodded,"Yeah, I'll be right back. I'll go with you to drop the kids off at school and then we can drop by my apartment so I can change before we head in to work," she explained, giving him another kiss. Olivia headed out the door, sighing as she crossed the street to Kathy's car. She knocked on the window and the blonde glared at her as she rolled the window down,"Kathy, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked.

"What are you doing here?" Kathy returned,"I can be here if I want. This is my family. My house," she added.

Olivia sighed,"Kathy, I am here, because I am with Elliot now. I am, not you. You don't have custody of the kids, you're not married to Elliot, and this is not your house anymore. You have your own little family now with that guy and Eli. Have you been here all night?" Olivia nodded in response. "Go home Kathy. Just go home to your new family," Olivia instructed gently.

Kathy nodded, buckling her seatbelt,"But, just for your information, Olivia, they will always be my family. Not yours," she said coldly before rolling up her window and driving off. Olivia shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear and walking into the house.

The kids were all rushing around, gathering their things for school,"Ten minutes," Elliot warned, pouring two cups of coffee and putting the lids on them. He smiled at Olivia as she took one of them from him and kissed her forehead soundly. "How did it go?" he asked, wrapping an arm around he waist and pulling her closer as he took a sip of coffee.

Olivia sighed,"She left with no problem, but she is convinced that you guys are still her family, and will never be mine," she said, sipping her own coffee as the Stabler kids began to head out to the car.

"Well, she's completely wrong about that, Liv," he assured her. Olivia turned to face him as the last child, Lizzie, headed out of the house. Olivia leaned forward, kissing Elliot fully, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth briefly, before pulling away.

"Let's take the kids to school. You have court in an hour an a half, and we still have to drop the kids off and stop by my apartment," she said, linking their fingers and heading for the car.

The kids were dropped off, and Olivia was allowed to change before the made it to work together. Elliot headed off to court, while Olivia stuck around the precinct, working on their latest case.

After a few hours, Elliot returned. He let the captain know he needed the afternoon off, and discreetly kissed Olivia goodbye before heading out to plan their date. He couldn't wait to spend the evening with her.

* * *

**Thoughts? Next chapter will be the date, of course!**


	7. Chapter 7

"El?" Olivia called, walking into her apartment. She had gotten a text from her, five minutes before she got off work, instructing her to head straight to her apartment. She had followed his instruction, and was now placing her car keys, cell phone, gun, and badge on the counter, noticing the rose petals scattered on the floor. She followed the small trail, leading her to her bedroom. She walked through the bedroom door, expecting to see Elliot sitting on her bed, but he was no where in sight. She followed the path of rose petals into her closet, where it led striaght to a new dress, right in the middle of her work clothes. She smiled as she stepped closer, pulling the hanger off the rack, and examining the long red dress. She noticed the stickey note on it, almost immediately, and pulled it off. "Slip this on. There are shoes to match in the bathroom. I'll be here to pick you up at 7:00," Olivia read out loud. She glanced at the clock, noticing it was already 6:15. She laid the dress on the bed, setting the stickey note down on her nightstand on the way to the bathroom. Olivia quickly fixed her makeup, making sure everything was perfect, before moving on to her hair. She pulled out her curling iron, plugging it in, before heading back into her bedroom. She stripped, throwing her dirty clothes into the dirty laundry basket, before slipping on the red dress. She zipped it up, then walked back into the bathroom, admiring the dress on her. It had a deep v-neck, but not deep enough to be considered trashy and it fit her perfectly, hugging her curves, until it got to her waist, where it began to flow away from her body. She smiled as she began to curl her hair. Elliot had good taste.

She finished her hair within half an hour, and fluffed it, making it more wavy than curly. She glanced at the clock again. It was now 6:55, Elliot would be here any minute. In a rush, Olivia spritzed on some of her perfume, slipped on the silver heels Elliot had laid out for her, grabbed a silver clutch from her closet, and put her cellphone and some cash in it. She finished rushing around just as her doorbell rang. She smoothed a hand over her dress as she walked to the door, and opened it, revealing Elliot in a tux. "Hey El, you look good," Olivia said with a smile and a nod as she stepped aside, allowing him to step into the apartment.

"You look stunning," Elliot replied, pulling Olivia in for a kiss as he kicked the door shut behind him,"I missed you," he added as he pulled away.

Olivia chuckled,"You just saw me 7 hours ago," she said.

Elliot shrugged,"I still missed you," he said.

Olivia smiled,"I missed you too," she said, giving him a soft kiss,"So, where are we going?" Olivia asked as she pulled away.

Elliot grinned,"It's a surprise," he said, pulling a blindfold out of his pocket.

Olivia shook her head,"There is no way in hell you are putting that thing on me," she said.

"C'mon Liv, don't you trust me?" Elliot asked, looking at her with those ocean blue eyes that he knew made her melt.

Olivia sighed,"Of course I trust you," she replied.

"Well then, trust me and let me put this blindfold on you," Elliot said, reaching out to tie the blindfold over her eyes.

"Stabler, if you run me into anything, I swear to God, I will rip this blindfold off, kick your ass, and then leave you," Olivia said as he began to leaad her out the door.

Elliot smiled and kissed her cheek,"Don't worry, I won't run you in to anything," he said as they stepped into the elevator. The ride down was silent, and Elliot led Olivia to his car. He helped her into the passenger seat, and made sure she got herself buckled, before getting into the driver's seat.

"Are we almost there?" Olivia asked impatiently after nearly an hour of driving.

Elliot chuckled as he put the car in park,"We are here," he said, getting out and making his way to the passenger door. He helped Olivia out of the car, taking her hand and leading the way.

"Did I just step on a fucking stick?" Olivia asked as something crunched beneath her heel.

"Maybe," Elliot said with a shrug.

"El, are we in the woods?" Olivia asked curiously.

"Yep," Ellliot replied simply.

"You had me get all dressed up just to go into the woods?" Olivia asked. Elliot didn't reply. Instead, he stopped them, reaching around to untie her blindfold, and slipping it back into his pocket. Olivia looked around. They were in front of a large cabin, in the woods. On the porch of the cabin, a candlelight dinner had been set out. Olivia turned to look at Elliot, who was smiling,"You did all of this for me?" she asked.

Elliot shrugged,"Well, I bought this cabin almost 10 years, so all I really had to do was set up the dinner, and what is inside," he replied.

"What is inside?" Olivia asked curiously.

Elliot smirked,"You'll just have to find out later. Now, let's eat," he said, leading her up the porch steps, to the table. Olivia took her seat while Elliot headed into the cabin, returning a moment later with two plates in his hand. He set one in front of Olivia, and sat down, placing the other one in front of himself. He grabbed the wine off of the table, pouring a glass for Olivia and one for himself,"Dig in," he said.

Olivia shook her head as she cut into her steak,"You're too much, Stabler," she said.

"You don't like it?" Elliot asked curiously.

"No, no, I love it. I'm just saying, if you keep this up, you're going to spoil me," Olivia said with a soft smile.

Elliot chuckled,"I fully intend on spoiling you," he replied. Olivia stood up, moving her chair, plate, and glass of wine beside Elliot's.

"Better," Olivia said, kissing Elliot gently.

"Much better," Elliot added, wrapping one arm around her shoudlers and pulling her closer to him.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, the couple talking about a variety of things for more than an hour as they ate. When they were finished, Elliot stood up, leading Olivia into the cabin, through the living room, and into the bedroom. There were two pairs of sweats laid out on the bed.

"That's not very sexy," Olivia said, picking up the t-shirt that he had laid out for her.

Elliot smiled and kissed her softly,"You are sexy in anything, but sexy wasn't really what I was going for. I just want you to be comfortable tonight," he said.

Olivia raised an eyebrow,"You did all of this for me, and you don't plan on having sex tonight?" she asked.

Elliot shook his head,"Not tonight. I want to wait, with you. I want it to be special," he said.

"El, just last night, you were all for just taking me back to my apartment and fucking me senseless for maybe an hour, and then heading back to sit beside your daughter's hospital bed for the rest of the night. What changed your mind?" Olivia asked curiously.

Elliot shrugged,"I just had more time to think, and I realized that you deserve much better than that, Liv," he said.

Olivia smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck,"I like this side of you, Stabler," she said.

Elliot chuckled, situating his arms around his waist,"Well, that's good, because you're going to be seeing a lot of it," he replied, leaning in to kiss her. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip slowly, and she opened her mouth for him. The kiss was slow, relaxed and sweet. They stood there for several minutes, just kissing.

Until, finally, Olivia pulled away,"What about the kids?" she asked.

"Kathleen is watching them tonight, I told her we would be there to pick them all up tomorrow morning and bring them to school," Elliot informed her.

Olivia smiled and kissed him again, before pulling away,"I'm gonna' go change," she said, picking up the t-shirt and sweatpants he had laid out for her, and heading into the bathroom. Elliot changed while she was in the bathroom, folding up his clothes and putting them in a duffelbag. When he finished that, he headed back out onto the porch, picking up the dirty dishes, and blowing out the candles. He put the dishes in the dishwasher, and made it back into the bedroom just in time to see Olivia coming out of the bathroom.

"You can put your dress in this with my tux, I will have them both dry cleaned tomorrow," Elliot instructed,holding the duffel bag out to her. Olivia folded her dress neatly, and then put it in the bag, watching as Elliot zipped it up and set it by the door to the bedroom. Olivia pulled her cellphone out of her clutch, setting it on the nightstand next to her, with an alarm set for 5 AM. They both climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over them.

"Thank you for this. It was really sweet," Olivia said, turning on her side to face Elliot, and letting him pull her close to him.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Elliot said with a smirk.

Olivia smiled,"El, I know I already said this, but you really don't have to do all of this just for me," she said.

Elliot nodded,"I know, but I want to. You deserve this, Liv. You've been with so many dickheads, you deserve someone who will treat you right," he said.

Olivia leaned forward and kissed him once more,"Goodnight El," she said, laying her head on his chest.

"Goodnight babe," Elliot replied, wrapping his arms around her waist protectively. Olivia did deserve to have everything she had ever wanted, and he fully intended to give her as much as he possibly could.

* * *

**What has Elliot got planned next? Or will Olivia turn the tables, and plan someting for Elliot? Also, is Kathy really ready to leave them alone? And, the squad gets a new case, one that hits a little close to home. In the meantime, though, what did you think of this chapter?**


	8. Chapter 8

"That is the sweetest thing I have heard I think in my entire life time," Casey replied, a dreamy look in her eyes as she popped a fry in her mouth.

Olivia took a drink of her sweet tea,"I know! It was incredible. He is incredible. I have to do something to pay him back," she said, shaking her head in thought.

"Well, there's always hot sex," Casey suggested.

Olivia shook her head,"No, no sex. If he can give me the best night of my life without rock-my-world sex, than I should do the same for him," she said, taking a bite of her salad.

Casey sighed,"Girl, I am the wrong person to be asking about romantic advice," she said.

Olivia chuckled,"I thought things were going great with that guy you were seeing," she said questioningly.

Casey shook her head, taking a drink of her soda,"So did I," she replied.

"Did he break up with you?" Olivia asked, pushing her empty plate away from her and taking another sip of tea.

Casey nodded, finishing her fries,"Yeah, now I have decided to give up on having a real relationship and am just having casual sex with this homicide detective I met a couple of weeks ago," she replied casually.

Olivia gave her best friend a soft smile,"You'll find someone one day. It took me twelve years to get Elliot, and we spent 95 percent of those twelve years together. Sometimes it just takes a while," she consoled her.

Casey perked up,"Oh my God! I've got it!" she said excitedly.

"Got what?" Olivia asked curiously.

"I know what you can do for Elliot!" Casey said.

"Well, please do share!" Olivia prompted.

"Well, Elliot is a huge family man, am I right?" Casey asked, earning a nod in response from Olivia,"Well, do something including him and the kids. He will appreciate a romantic evening with just you, of course, but my bet is that if you planned out a whole family night, and then maybe some time just between the two of you after the kids go to bed, you will blow him away," Casey explained.

Olivia thought about it for a moment,"That's perfect" she said with a grateful smile. She laid a twenty down on the table,"Thanks Case, I have to go plan the evening now, but we can have lunch again tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it," she said, before hurrying out the door.

Three hours later, Olivia had finished the plans for the night, and was picking the kids up from school,"Where's dad?" Lizzie asked as she got in the back seat with Dickie.

"He's still at work," Olivia replied simply, watching Kathleen get into the passenger seat and making sure all the kids had their seat belts buckled, before she took the car out of park. "So, do you guys like ice skating?" Olivia asked after a moment of silence.

Kathleen nodded,"I do, but they have never been," she answered for her younger siblings.

Olivia looked in her mirror at the twins in the backseat,"You guys have never been ice skating?" she asked.

Lizzie shook her head,"Nope, are we going?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep," Olivia replied. Cragen would be telling Elliot to come home in 20 minutes, by the time he got home, they would all be dressed and ready to go ice skating. After ice skating, the family would head to get pizza, and after that they would head home, play a game of the kids' choice, the kids would be put to bed, and then Olivia and Elliot would enjoy some strawberries and chocolate syrup in their bedroom, before going to sleep in each other's arms. It had all been carefully planned out by Olivia, and she couldn't wait to execute it.

However, when she pulled into the driveway to Elliot's house and saw Kathy's car, as well as Kathy who was sitting on the front porch, she knew things might not go as smoothly as she had hoped. She had planned this night carefully, though, and she would be damned if Elliot's ex-wife ruined it.

"You guys stay in here, I'll be right back," Olivia said, getting out of the car, she heard the doors lock as she made her way to the front porch.

"Kathy, what do you want this time?" Olivia asked as she made it to where the woman was sitting on the porch stairs.

* * *

**What does Kathy want? Will Olivia get to execute her night as she had planned? And what about the new case I mentioned after last chapter?**

**Sorry for such a short update, I've been super busy all day, but I wanted to give you guys something this weekend! I promise next weekend's update will be a nice, long chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I'm home sick, so I thought I would give you guys an extra update, since Saturday's was so short. Anyway, here is the next chapter, and I hope you like it!**

* * *

"Put the claws away, Olivia. I'm not here to fight with you," Kathy said, standing up.

"Well then, what exactly are you here for?" Olivia asked.

"Well, I came to give Elliot this, but since he's not here, I'll give it to you," she said, handing Olivia an official looking envelope. Inside, it said that Kathy was giving custody of little Eli to Elliot.

"Why?" Olivia asked, looking up at the blonde woman.

Kathy shrugged,"Too much responsibility right now. Matt and I are taking off. Heading out of state. Starting fresh, and unfortunately that can't include the little tike," she explained.

Olivia was thoroughly confused. How can a mother just walk away from all of her children like that?"So you're leaving him to Elliot?" she asked curiously.

Kathy nodded,"Eli knows Elliot as his daddy. This will be easier on him this way. I may not want him, but I do still love him. I know he will be in good hands with Elliot, and with you," she explained, walking to her car, and emerging a moment later with Eli in one arm, pulling a rolling suitcase behind her,"Here," she said, handing the toddler to Olivia, and standing the suitcase in front of her,"All his clothes and such are in there," Kathy said simply, before turning and walking away. Olivia watched as she got in the car, kissed the man in the passenger seat, and drove away, without so much as a wave.

Olivia stood, frozen, for a moment, before shaking her head, clearing it, and motioning for the kids to get out of the car. She watched as Kathleen took the keys out of the ignition and the three Stabler teenagers made their way to Olivia,"What just happened?" Kathleen asked, handing Olivia the car keys.

Olivia shook her head, still in shock,"Your mother just gave your father custody of Eli, and ran off with her boyfriend to some other state," she said simply, grabbing the suitcase and heading inside.

"Does this mean we aren't going ice skating or getting pizza?" Dickie asked, earning a swat from Lizzie.

"That's the least on Olivia's mind right now, dickwad," Lizzie said.

Dickie rubbed his shoulder,"I was just asking, sheesh," he complained.

Olivia sighed,"No guys, we are still going ice skating and getting pizza. The night will continue as planned, we are just adding another Stabler to the mix," she said, smiling at Eli who was playing with her necklace intently.

Kathleen smiled,"Yay!" she squealed, heading up the stairs towards her room, to change her clothes.

"Dickie, can you please bring Eli's suitcase up to the spare bedroom?" Olivia requested as the twins headed for the stairs as well.

Dickie nodded,"Sure Liv," he said, taking the suitcase with him.

Olivia sighed, leaning against the counter,"What a day, huh, little guy?" she asked Eli.

Eli giggled in response, laying his head on her shoulder,"Livvie," he said fondly.

Olivia chuckled, heading for Elliot's room,"Yeah, honey, that's me," she said. In the back of Elliot's closet she found Eli's old play pen, and she brought it out, setting it up in the center of the room, and setting Eli in it, handing him her keys to play with as she headed back into Elliot's closet, knowing she had a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt in there somewhere. She found the items she was looking for and quickly changed in the bathroom, before laying the letter down on Elliot's nightstand, picking Eli back up, and heading into the kitchen.

Olivia had just made it to the kitchen when Elliot walked in the front door,"Liv?" he called out, not seeing her at first.

"Kitchen," Olivia replied nervously, situating Eli on her hip.

"I haven't seen you since right after lunch, where have you-" Elliot started, stopping as he saw Eli,"What is he doing here? Is Kathy here? I didn't see her car parked outside," he said all at once.

Olivia shook her head,"No, Kathy isn't here. Kathy left the state, and she left Eli...to you," she explained, watching his face for a reaction.

"She what?" Elliot asked, crossing the room to stand in front of her.

"She left the state with her boyfriend to 'start a new life'. A new life that, apparently, did not include her son, and she left him, legally, to you," Olivia explained once again.

"She left me custody of Eli?" Elliot asked, looking at the toddler who was resting his head comfortably on Olivia's shoulder, but smiling up at him.

Olivia nodded,"Yes," she confirmed.

"Wow, I-" Elliot started, being interrupted when all three Stabler teenagers came bounding down the stairs.

"Yay, daddy's home! Now we can go ice skating!" Lizzie exclaimed.

Elliot looked at Olivia,"Ice skating?" he questioned.

Olivia smiled at him, leaning in close so the kids couldn't hear,"Well, you planned last night, so I figured it was my turn to plan tonight," she whispered.

Elliot couldn't help but smile at her," I'll go change," he announced, kissing Olivia before heading off to his room, returning a moment later in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Alright kiddos, go get in the car, and whoever knows how to put Eli's car seat in, should do that. It's in the trunk of your dad's car," Olivia announced, handing Eli, who whined at the transaction, to Kathleen, needing a minute alone with Elliot,"Are you alright? This is a lot to handle. When I planned the evening, I didn't count on getting Eli. If it's too much for one night, we can wait a bit," she told him.

Elliot shook his head, wrapping his arms around her,"No, no, it's not too much at all. It's a lot, but it helps that you are so calm, cool, and collected. I'm pretty sure you're Super Woman, Liv," he said, nuzzling her neck softly.

Olivia chuckled,"I am definitely not Super Woman," she denied.

Elliot chuckled,"God, Olivia, I love you," he said, looking deeply into her chocolate orbs.

Olivia smiled,"I love you too, El," she said, kissing him, surprisingly not feeling any urge to run away.

"The kids are probably waiting very impatiently for us," Elliot said, resting his forehead against hers.

Olivia nodded, making no other attempt to move," Just give me one more minute. I really like being here, in your arms," she said, snuggling her head a little farther into his chest.

Elliot smiled, kissing the top of her head,"You can stay in my arms for as long as you want, baby," he said.

Olivia chuckled, and pulled away, giving him a few quick pecks, before turning, entwining their fingers, and walking with him towards the door,"Let's get this show on the road," she announced as she climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

* * *

**What'd you think?**

**Next up, family night, of course! I'll warn you right now, next chapter will be very fluffy, but we will find out what their new case is!**


	10. Chapter 10

Elliot pulled up up to the ice skating rink,"Alright kiddos. No one goes anywhere without either me or Liv," he announced to the kids in the back seats.

Kathleen rolled her eyes,"Come on dad. I'm sixteen years old. I think I can handle ice skating by myself," she said.

Elliot shook his head,"This is family night, which means, the family sticks together," he said,"That clear?" he asked after a moment.

All three of the Stabler teenagers nodded,"Yeah dad," they replied in unison.

Olivia was the first to get out of the car, opening the door to the back seat, letting the three teenagers out, before reaching in and getting Eli out of his carseat, resting him on her hip,"You ready, buddy?" she asked, closing the car door.

"Yeah!" Eli yelled excitedly, causing Olivia to chuckle as she joined the rest of the group in front of the car.

"Ready?" Elliot asked her, linking his hand with her free one.

Olivia nodded,"Yep," she said simply, her and Elliot leading the way into the building. Everyone got their ice skates, and put them on. Eli recieving a little help from Elliot and Olivia.

"Can we go now?" Lizzie asked impatiently.

Olivia shook her head, looking around, smiling when her eyes settled on the blonde young woman making her way towards them,"As soon as she gets her ice skates on," she said as Maureen made it to the group.

"Hey guys!" Maureen said excitedly, giving everyone a quick hug, before sitting down to put on her skates.

"Mo, what are you doing here? Don't you have a class right now?" Elliot asked, clearly shocked by his oldest daughter's appearance with them.  
Maureen nodded,"I'm having a friend record the lecture for me. Olivia invited me. She told me not to tell you guys, because she wanted it to be a surprise," she explained.

Elliot turned to Olivia, who was smiling at him,"You are absolutely the most incredible woman in the world," he said, leaning forward to give her a kiss, but making it short, keeping in mind that his kidss were sitting right there.

Olivia smiled again as he pulled away,"No, I'm not," she said simply, picking Eli up,"Now, who's ready to do some ice skating?" she asked, receiving excited answers from all the kids, and leading the way to the entrance to the ice. Olivia had been ice skating, many times, and was actually quite good at it. Elliot, on the other hand, was having a bit of a hard time. Olivia gave Maureen Eli's hand, which she had been holding, helping him, trusting the oldest Stabler with her little brother, while she made her way over to Elliot,"How ya doing, hot stuff?" she asked.  
Elliot laughed,"Not too great, in case you can't tell," he replied. Olivia helped him get better footing, and it didn't take long for him to get the hang of it. Before long, the whole family, even little Eli, seemed to be doing alright. They skated around for a while, but before long, all the Stabler kids were complaining of being hungry, and so they made their way off the ice, changed back into their shoes, and Olivia returned the skates. The kids, except for Eli, who was being carried by Olivia, ran ahead to the car. Maureen went off to her car, saying she'd meet them at the pizza place, which left Olivia and Elliot alone, since Eli had fallen asleep on Olivia's shoulder,"You know, that was the most fun they've had in a long time," Elliot informed her.

Olivia smiled at him,"I'm glad. That was kind of the point of tonight," she said. Elliot said nothing, simply smiled warmly and shook his head as he watched her carefully put Eli in the carseat, without waking him, then slide into the passenger seat.

"Everyone ready for some pizza?" Elliot asked, getting into the car. He received a chorus of quiet cheers from the backseats, and pulled out of the parking lot.

The ride to the pizza place was quiet, and when they got there, they did the same thing they had done at the ice rink, Olivia waking Eli gently, before getting him out of the car seat. Maureen met them at the car this time, and they all walked in together, being seated at a large table near the back.

"Alright guys, what do we want?" Elliot asked, looking at his menu.

"Onions and Peppers!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"Bacon!" Dickie said.

"Pepperoni," Maureen replied simply.

"Pineapple," Kathleen added.

"Woah, alrighty then," Elliot said, putting down his menu.

Olivia chuckled,"How about we get two large pizza's one half onions and peppers and half bacon, the other half pepperoni and half pineapple," she suggested.

Elliot nodded,"Alright, sounds good to me," he said as the waitress approached. He ordered them all water, and the pizzas, and the waitress was off to get their drinks and put in their order.

"Thanks Liv, for doing this for us. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I haven't had this much fun in a very, very long time," Maureen said, giving Olivia an appreciative smile.

Olivia swept her eyes over everyone sitting at the table, a warm smile on her face,"You guys deserve it, and you better get used to it, because, if your dad keeps me around," she said with a wink at Elliot,"there will be a lot more family nights ahead. Coming from a home where family wasn't very important, I think it's crucial to have some family time every once in a while," she finished.

Elliot took her hand under the table, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand lightly,"Well, I think I'm going to keep you around for a while, so you guys better get used to having family time," he said, winking at Olivia and smiling at his kids. Casual conversation was had throughout the rest of the dinner, and before too long Elliot was paying the bill, and everyone was saying goodbye to Maureen, because she had to get back to campus. While she headed back to campus, everyone else headed back to the Stabler house. Eli was passed out by the time they got home, and Elliot carried him in, after discussing with Olivia, and deciding he would sleep in their room that night. Olivia ushered the rest of the kids into the house. They decided to skip the games, because by now they were all exhausted, and Olivia kissed each of them on the forehead goodnight, before ushering them into the bedroom to say goodnight to their dad, which they did, and then were off to bed upstairs.

Olivia closed the door behind them,"So, did you have a good time tonight?" Olivia asked quietly, crawling into bed next to Elliot.

Elliot smiled,"The best time. You are the best," he said, pulling her in for a kiss.

Olivia smiled and gave him another peck before walking to his dresser and grabbing one of his t-shirts to wear to bed. She gave him a wink as she closed the bathroom door. She changed quickly into the t-shirt, and when she came out she noticed Elliot had changed as well. She stopped by the playpen where Eli was now sleeping, leaning over and kissing his forehead softly, before climbing into bed next to Elliot, snuggling up to his chest.

"I'll have to get one of the kids' old cribs down from the attic tomorrow," Elliot said, wrapping both of his arms around Olivia.

Olivia nodded,"Ok, baby," she said tiredly.

Elliot chuckled,"Thank you for tonight," he said softly.

Olivia looked up at him, placing a gentle kiss to his lips,"There was more, but we'll just have to wait until some other time for that," she said, smirking.

Elliot shook his head as she laid her head down on his chest,"I love you, Liv," he said softly.

Olivia sighed contently,"I love you too, El," she replied.

However, there wouldn't be any sleep for either of them tonight, which was made clear when both of their phones started buzzing."Benson," "Stabler," they answered simultaneously. Both of their eyes widened as they listened. They both hung up, rolling out of bed.

"This shouldn't have happened to her," Olivia said, shaking her head as she threw on some work clothes from the duffel bag of her things in the back of his closet. Elliot nodded his agreement, simply speechless, and Olivia headed upstairs, gently waking Kathleen to let her know that they were leaving and ask her if Eli could sleep in her room with her, before heading back downstairs, moving Eli upstairs into Kathleen's bed, and following Elliot out the front door.

* * *

**Sorry if it was a little rushed, I had a lot to get in in this chapter. Who's the victim?**


	11. Chapter 11

Elliot and Olivia arrived at the hospital, not as detectives, but as worried parents. Elliot flashed his badge at the nurse, asking for a room number, which she gave him without objection. Elliot took Olivia's hand, squeezing it as they entered the room. Elliot nearly broke down at the sight of his oldest daughter in the hospital bed, but Olivia pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back lightly, comforting him. "She needs you right now, El," she whispered into his ear, pulling away.

Elliot nodded, turning back towards the bed and walking the remaining steps to the side of the bed, where a chair was sitting. He took a seat, motioning for Olivia to join him, and pulling her into his lap. Maureen opened her eyes, blinking a few times, before looking around the room, before her eyes settled on the worried expression on Elliot's face, and the warm, sad smile on Olivia's.

"What happened, Mo?" Olivia asked quietly after a moment of silence.

Maureen shook her head,"You don't have to take my statement, the uniformed officers already did, and the guy was still there when they got there, so they got him. It's all fine," she informed them.

Olivia shook her head, taking Maureen's hand,"We aren't here as detectives, Mo. We're here as concerned...family," she said.

A tear slid down Maureen's cheek,"It was just random. He didn't specifically target me, if that's what you're thinking," she said.

Olivia nodded,"Did he rape you, sweetie?" she asked gently.

Maureen shook her head,"No, he didn't get that far. He just pulled me into the ally, knocked me around a little, ripped my clothes off, then the cops showed up. Apparently someone passing by the ally had heard me screaming and called the police," she explained.

Elliot choked back a sob, holding Olivia even closer,"Mo, why don't you come home with us? We will take the day off of work, you can get a friend to tape your classes today again, and then tomorrow is Saturday. You can stay the weekend with us, and then leave Sunday night," Elliot suggested.

Maureen shook her head,'No dad, really, it's ok. I'm fine. I just want to get on with my life," she said.

Olivia sighed,"Sweetie, I know you think that if you just go on with your life, like it never happened, then maybe you will forget it ever did happen, but that's not true. Taking the weekend off, to heal physically, and maybe talk to someone about what happened, will really be good for you," she said.

Maureen thought about it for a moment,"Fine, I will stay with you, but I really am ok," she insisted.

Olivia smiled warmly at her,"Alright sweetie, your dad and I will go see if they can go ahead and release you," she said, standing up, taking Elliot's hand, and pulling him out of the room. "You ok?" she asked as they walked towards the nurse's station.

Elliot nodded,"I'll be ok," he said. The couple found a nurse, and got the release forms signed, before the three made their way out to the car. The ride back to the house was silent, except from the phone calls to Cragen from and Olivia and Elliot, Elliot stating that he needed to be with Maureen, and Olivia stating that she needed to be there for Elliot. When they made it back to the house, Olivia got Maureen settled on the couch, and the young woman was out within minutes. Olivia walked up the stairs, taking Eli from Kathleen, without waking her, and brought him back into Elliot's bedroom, laying him in the playpen, before crawling into bed beside Elliot. She was pulled impossibly close to him, recieving a kiss to the back of her neck.

Olivia rolled over, facing him,"Are you sure you're ok, El?" she asked.

Elliot shook his head,"I just, I can't believe, that, it, that almost happened to her," he said, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Olivia's heart broke as she reached up, lightly brushing his tear away,"I know, El. I know. She needs you right now, though. As much as she says she's fine, you and I both know that there is trauma that comes along with what happened to her, and what almost happened to her," she said.

Elliot nodded,"I know," he said softly.

"But it is ok to cry right now," Olivia assured him, and with that, Olivia wrapped her arms around Elliot, allowing him to cry into her shirt, until he eventually fell asleep, Olivia quickly following suit.

* * *

Olivia woke up later to the alarm. She looked over to Elliot, seeing that he was stirring, but not quite awake yet, and leaned over him, carefully, turning off the alarm before it woke him, and slipping out of bed. She checked Maureen on the way through the living room, seeing that she was still sleeping, and headed up the Lizzie and Dickie, and seeing that Kathleen was already awake, straightening her hair in the bathroom. She headed back downstairs, starting some coffee, before heading back into the bedroom, crawling back into bed next to Elliot.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Elliot asked curiously.

Olivia rolled over to face him,"I was going to when it was time to bring them to school, but you didn't get much sleep last night, I wanted to let you get a little more sleep," she replied.

Elliot smiled lovingly at him,"You have got to be the most incredible woman on this planet," he said, leaning foraward to kiss her deeply.

"Well, I guess you're pretty damn lucky to have me," Olivia joked, kissing him again.

"I am damn lucky to have you, and I love you," Elliot said seriously.

Olivia shook her head,"I'm the lucky one. We've not even been together for a week, and I've already gained a whole family. What the hell did you get out of it? Not much, that's what," she said.

Elliot shook his head,"I got an amazing, caring, beautiful girlfriend, and a wonderful mother for my children, and future children," he replied simply.

Olivia smiled warmly at him, kissing him again, pulling away when Lizzie knocked on the door,"We're ready," she called into the door.

Elliot got out of bed,"I will take them, you stay here in case Eli or Maureen wake up," he said, giving her a deep kiss before pulling on a t-shirt. "I'll be right back," he said, heading out the bedroom door.

Olivia sighed as he left, finally starting to believe that she may be able to be happy. It wouldn't be quite as easy as she thought, though.


	12. Chapter 12

Elliot returned shortly, as he promised, and crawled back into bed with Olivia, wrapping both arms securely around her waist, thinking she was asleep. Olivia proved him wrong, however, when she rolled over in his arms, pressing a light kiss to his lips,"Did I wake you up?" Elliot asked.

Olivia shook her head,"No, I never got back to sleep," she replied simply, kissing him again.

Elliot smirked,"Can't sleep without me now, can you?" he asked smugly.

Olivia rolled her eyes,"Don't act like you would be able to sleep without me now," she said.

"I could sleep without you," Elliot insisted.

Olivia raised an eyebrow,"Ok, I'll just go home tonight, to sleep in my bed, and we'll see how long it is before you're calling me, asking me to come back," she said, smirking.

Elliot shook his head, holding her closer to him,"Let's not do that," he said.

Olivia chuckled, kissing him again,"That's what I thought," she said.

At that moment, both Eli and Maureen called out to them. Olivia and Elliot both hopped out of bed,"I'l get Eli," Elliot said, heading to the play pen, while Olivia walked out of the room, to the living room where Maureen was now sitting up on the couch, in a cold sweat, a terrified look on her face.

Olivia didn't hesitate, walking straight to the couch and sitting on the edge of it, next to Maureen,"What happened, Mo?" she asked softly, placing a calming hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Maureen leaned in to her touch, laying her head on Olivia's shoulder and wrapping her arms around the older woman,"God, that was the worst nightmare I've ever had," she said into the material of her shirt.

"What was it about, sweetie?" Olivia asked, rubbing soothing circles on Maureen's back.

"The, the thing," Maureen said quietly.

"Last night?" Olivia asked. Maureen simply nodded as Elliot made his way into the room, carrying Eli. "Sweetie, do you want to talk about it? It might make you feel better," Olivia asked.

Maureen shook her head,"No, nothing happened," she said, pulling away,"I don't know why I'm so strung out about this," she said, wiping tears from her eyes as Elliot sat on the couch, behind Olivia.

Olivia sighed,"Honey, something did happen. This man, whether he raped you or not, he violated you. He hurt you, and there is trauma that comes along with that. Denying anything happened is only going to make it worse," she said softly.

A few tears slid down Maureen's face, and Eli crawled into Olivia's lap, leaning over to wipe the tears from his sister's face,"Don't be sad, Mo Mo," he said.

This small gesture brought warm smiles to all three of the adult's faces,"I'm trying, buddy," Maureen replied, more tears sliding down her cheeks.

"It's still pretty early, Mo, why don't you just get some more sleep? Me and Liv are right here, we aren't going anywhere, and you're safe. When you wake up, maybe you will feel like talking to one, or both of us," Elliot suggested.

Maureen nodded, laying her head back on her pillow,"Ok," she said softly.

"Let us know if you need anything," Olivia said, pressing a kiss to Maureen's forehead, before standing up, picking Eli up as she did so, and waiting for Elliot to place a kiss to Maureen's forehead as well, before heading back into the bedroom, leaving the door open, in case Maureen needed one of them.

"Livvie, I'm hungry," Eli complained as she set him in the play pen.

"Well, buddy, I'll go get you some cereal in a few minutes, I wanna' make sure your sister goes to sleep first, though, ok?" Olivia asked as Elliot turned some cartoons on the TV for Eli.

Eli nodded, suddenly engulfed in the show,"Ok," he said simply, sitting down.

As promised, Olivia waited a few minutes, before silently passing through the living room, into the kitchen, making Eli a bowl of cereal, and two cups of coffee for Elliot and herself. She expertly balanced all three as she tiptoed back into the bedroom, giving Eli his cereal, and Elliot his coffee.

It wasn't much longer before Maureen was calling for Olivia. She put her empty mug down on the night stand, kissed Elliot, and headed into the living room,"What's wrong, sweetie?" Olivia asked, sitting down on the edge of the couch, as she had done earlier.

"I lied," Maureen said simply.

"You lied about what?" Olivia asked curiously.

"I know who attacked me," Maureen said, looking down at her hands.

"Who was it, Mo? They did get the right guy in custody, right?" Olivia asked.

Maureen nodded,"They got the right guy," she said softly.

"Was it someone you knew? A classmate?" Olivia encouraged.

Maureen shook her head,"Not a classmate," she said simply.

"A professor?" Olivia asked.

Maureen shook her head again,"No," she said.

"Honey, who was it?" Olivia asked.

"Brian Cassidy," Maureen said, finally meeting Olivia's gaze.

Olivia's eyes widened in shock,"Are you sure, Mo?" she asked.

Maureen nodded,"I'm sure. I don't think it was random, like I said earlier, either," she said.

Olivia furrowed her brow in confusion,"Why didn't you tell us earlier, sweetie?" she asked.

Maureen shook her head,"I didn't want dad to know," she said, quickly adding,"You can't tell him, either Liv!"

Olivia sighed,"Mo, honey, you're dad should know, especially if he specifically targeted you," she said.

Maureen shook her head,"No, he can't know," she insisted.

"Why not?" Olivia asked.

"Because," Maureen started, sitting up," That's exactly what he wants! He wants dad to get pissed, and go after him. I'm not really who he's after, Liv. He's just using me to get to someone," she said.

"How do you know? How is being in jail going to help him get any closer to this person? Who is it?" Olivia asked rapidly.

"He told me. He told me all of this while he was kicking the shit out of me. He was going to kill me, Liv, that's why he told me all of this. He insisted that he wasn't going to go to jail, because he had some kick ass lawyer, and he's a cop, or whatever," Maureen explained, tears coming to her eyes once again.

"Who is he trying to get to, sweetie?" Olivia asked softly, wiping a tear that had slid down her cheek.

"You, he wants you, Liv," Maureen said simply, before pulling Olivia into a tight hug, and finally letting herself cry, for what had happened to her, for what had almost happened to her, and for what could happen to the woman she had come to love as a mother.

* * *

**Say what? Next up, Elliot finds out about Cassidy. Does Cassidy really get away with what he did? And somebody tells Cragen about Olivia and Elliot. But who? For now, though, let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and if you want more!**


	13. Chapter 13

It hadn't taken long for Maureen to cry herself back to sleep, and Olivia got up, tucking her into the couch, and walking back into the bedroom. Eli had finished his cereal, and Olivia silently took the bowl, carrying it into the kitchen and putting it in the dishwasher, before going back into the bedroom.

"Everything ok?" Elliot asked as Olivia grabbed some clothes from the closet, heading into the bathroom to get dressed.

"Yeah," Olivia assured him, closing the door behind her, mainly for the sake of Eli.

She emerged a few minutes later, fully dressed, and walked to Elliot, kissing him deeply and grabbing the car keys,"I have to go do something, I'll be back in a little while," she assured him.

Elliot looked at her with a confused expression,"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

Olivia shook her head,"I just have to run a few errands, baby. I'll be right back," she assured him again, kissing him once more, before heading out of the room. She got in the car and was quick to make her way to the precinct, passing the elevator and heading right for the stairs. She rushed up the stairs, heading straight for Cragen's office when she made it to the right floor. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

"Tell you what?" he asked curiously.

Olivia shook her head, rolling her eyes,"Don't play dumb with me," she said.

Cragen sighed,"I didn't want Elliot to know," he said simply.

Olivia shook her head,"Did Maureen tell you anything?" she asked.

Cragen nodded,"She told me everything that she probably just told you," he replied.

Olivia sighed, sinking into a chair,"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Cragen shook his head,"We aren't going to do anything," he said,"We are going to sit back, and wait to see if he gets convicted. If he does, then we don't have anything to worry about, if he doesn't. Well, then, we'll deal with it," he finished.

Olivia looked at him, shocked,"That's all?" she asked.

Cragen sighed,"Olivia, that is all we can do right now," he reminded her.

Olivia nodded,"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow," she said simply, getting ready to head out of the office, but stopping when she heard Cragen ask a question, a question that she really hoped it would be a while before she had to answer.

"What's going on with you and Elliot?" Cragen asked.

Olivia sighed, turning back around to face him,"What do you mean?" she asked.

Cragen shook his head,"Cut the crap, Olivia. Please, just be honest with me. It's obvious to everyone that the relationship between the two of you has changed. I just need to hear it from you," he said.

Olivia cleared her throat,"We are, seeing each other," she said simply.

Cragen nodded,"Thank you for being honest with me," he said, looking down at some of the papers on his desk.

"Are you going to split us up?" Olivia asked.

Cragen shook his head,"Not if I can help it," he said simply, leaving Olivia to wonder what was going to happen now as she wondered out of the building, and into her car. She took a deep breath, before heading back to Elliot's house. She walked in, finding Elliot sitting with Maureen on the couch, a furious look on his face.

"Daddy, you can't. That's exactly what he wants. You can't go to jail for assaulting him, because you have to be here to protect 'Livia!" Maureen exclaimed.

Olivia shut the door, alerting them of her presence,"You went to see Cragen, didn't you?" Elliot asked.

Olivia nodded,"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Maureen asked me not too," she said, making her way to him, dropping the keys on the coffee table before sitting down next to Elliot.

"Don't be mad at her daddy, she didn't do anything," Maureen pleaded.

Elliot took a deep breath, shaking his head,"I'm not mad at either of you. I'm just," he stopped mid sentence, failing to find words, and getting up, heading for the stairs.

Olivia got up to follow him,"It's ok, Mo. He's not mad at you, or me. He's just frustrated," she assured her. Olivia followed Elliot's path up the stairs, and found the ladder to the attic down. She climbed the ladder, finding Elliot looking at the four cribs sitting in front of him. "You ok?" she asked, touching his shoulder gently.

Elliot nodded,"I'm fine, Liv. I think the real question is, are you ok?" he asked, pulling her into his arms.

Olivia sighed and nodded,"I'm fine. I know that you won't let anything happen to me. I'm not all that worried, anyway. I could kick Cassidy's ass with one hand tied behind my back, blindfolded," she said chuckling.

Elliot was completely serious, though, not even cracking a smile,"Come on, Liv. This is serious. Obviously, if he's been obsessed with you for this long, he is one crazy mother fucker," he said.

Olivia sighed, nodding,"Yeah, El, he probably is, but like I said, I'm not really worried. I can take care of myself," she said, smiling as she added,"And I've got you. You would never let anything or anyone hurt me."

Elliot smirked,"Damn right," he said, leaning forward to kiss her. "I love you, Liv, and I promise that asshole will ever even get within two hundred feet of you, baby," he assured her.

Olivia chuckled,"I love you, too, honey," she said, being pulled in for another kiss. "Oh," Olivia said, pulling away to look at Elliot,"Cragen kind of knows about us," she said.

Elliot's eyes widened,"How did he find out? Is he going to split us up?" he asked quickly.

Olivia sighed,"He, he asked me when I went to talk to him about Cassidy. I figured that lying would only make it worse, so i just told him the truth. He said that he wasn't going to split us up, if he could help it. I don't really know definitively what that means," she replied.

Elliot shrugged,"I guess it was probably for the best. Whatever happens, happens. If we have to switch partners, I'll take Munch and his damn conspiracies. Fin can take better care of you. Not as good as me, of course, but better than Munch. And if one of us has to transfer, I'll do it. I know how much this unit means to you," he rambled.

Olivia kissed him to quiet him,"El, don't worry. We will deal with all of that, if it happens," she said simply, kissing him again, allowing him to deepen it.

She sighed into the kiss, hoping that things with Cragen would be alright, hoping that Cassidy would be put in jail, hoping that Maureen would be able to move past what happened to her, and just hoping that everything would work out for them. They deserved to be happy.

* * *

**Next up, we find out if Cassidy was convicted. We find out what Cragen does. And Elliot takes Olivia out on a very romantic date, to try to take her mind off of everything that's happening. But for now, what did you think of this chapter?**


	14. Chapter 14

Maureen stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her, causing Eli, Lizzie, Dickie, Kathleen, Elliot, and Olivia all to look up from their places on the couch and floor, where they had been watching a movie. "What's wrong, Mo? What happened?" Olivia asked, concerned as the blonde passed them, heading straight up the stairs to her room, slamming that door as well.

"Well, that can't be a good sign," Elliot said, sighing.

Today had been Brian Cassidy's trial. Maureen had taken off from school to testify, and Olivia and Elliot had both taken off to support her. However, Maureen hadn't wanted either of them there with her. She had wanted to do it on her own, and that's exactly what she had done.

Olivia nodded,"I'll go talk to her," she said, handing Eli over to Elliot, and following Maureen's path up the stairs. She stopped in front of her door, knocking,"Honey, can I come in?" she asked. Hearing a muffled reply from Maureen, she opened the door, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. She made her way to the bed, where Maureen was curled up under the covers, her face buried in the pillow. "What happened, Mo?" she asked softly, placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

Maureen turned her head to look at Olivia,"Not guilty," she said simply.

Olivia's eyes widened,"What? How?" she asked, shocked.

Maureen sat up,"He convinced the jury that he isn't the one that hurt me, that he was the one that found me, instead," she said, frustrated.

"How? What about the witness?" Olivia asked.

Maureen sighed,"The witness changed his testimony as soon as he got up on the stand. He told them that he heard me screaming, and he started to call for help, but them Cassidy showed up. He said that Cassidy told him to call the police, and then he went to help me. Cassidy then proceeded to say that the guy who actually did it got away, and that I was just scared and confused," she said, her anger and frustration rising as she relayed the story back to Olivia.

Olivia shook her head,"And they bought that load of shit? What did Cassidy have to stay about being on the campus, anyway? Why was he even there?" she asked.

Maureen rolled her eyes,"He said that he was there undercover, and his CO confirmed that," she said.

Olivia pulled Maureen into a tight hug, rubbing her back soothingly,"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure he slipped up at some point, and Cragen has probably already got someone working on figuring out when," she assured her.

Maureen pulled away, shaking her head as she wiped at her eyes,"I honestly don't care if they get him for what he did for me. I'm ok, I'm moving on. I just don't want him to hurt you," she said.

Olivia gave her a soft, reassuring, sad smile,"Honey, I can promise you that Brian Cassidy is not going to lay a hand on me. Ever," she assured her.

Maureen nodded, wrapping her arms around Olivia once more,"Good," she said into her shoulder.

"Now, I know today really sucked for you, sweetie. So, how about you come on downstairs and finish watching this movie with us. Then we can all eat dinner together, and if you want to, you can go home after that. Or you can stay another day. It's up to you, honey," Olivia said.

Maureen nodded, pulling away and getting up off the bed,"I'll go home tonight. I don't want to miss anymore classes," she said.

Olivia got up, following Maureen down the stairs, sitting back down on the couch next to Elliot, allowing him to wrap his arms around her, considering Eli had hopped off his lap, and onto the floor, next to his big brother, as Maureen sat down in the recliner,"What was that about?" Elliot whispered into Olivia's ear, kissing her softly.

Olivia sighed,"Cassidy got off," she replied softly.

"What?" Elliot asked, a mixture of anger and confusion in his voice.

Olivia nodded,"I'll explain later. Maureen is staying to finish the movie and eat dinner, but then she's going back to school," she informed him.  
Elliot sighed,"Ok," he said simply, pulling Olivia closer to him, making a vow right then to not leave her side until Cassidy was locked up in a jail cell somewhere.

* * *

Olivia and Elliot walked into the restaurant. Olivia was wearing a black dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her makeup was done perfectly, complete with smokey eyes, and her hair was in soft waves, falling just below her shoulders. While, Elliot was wearing a nice black suit, complete with a blue tie that Olivia had picked out, because it matched his eyes perfectly.

Elliot had decided to take Olivia out tonight, partly to get her mind off of the fact that yesterday Maureen had come home and told them that Brian Cassidy was found not guilty for beating, and almost raping her, and partly because they had gone back to work today, and Cragen had acted like nothing happened, which meant they were still partners, and it didn't seem that he had any plans to split them up.

Elliot and Olivia were quickly seated in a booth, and Elliot slid in next to Olivia, opting to sit on her side, rather than across from her. The waiter took their orders as Elliot wrapped an arm around Olivia's shoulders, holding her close, kissing her softly as the waiter walked away, returning a moment later with their drinks.

"I'm glad Cragen didn't split us up," Olivia said, laying her head down on his shoulder.

Elliot nodded, kissing the top of her head,"Me too," he replied simply.

They were quiet as they waited for their food, sharing sweet kisses and touches, just enjoying being together, alone.

The food was placed on the table, and Elliot and Olivia began to eat,"You know, you didn't have to do this," Olivia said, taking a bite of her steak.

"I know that, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to," Elliot replied, smiling as he kissed her again, nuzzling her nose.

Olivia smiled,"You have got to be the most romantic, perfect man on this Earth," she said, kissing him again.

Elliot shrugged,"Well, that is fitting, considering that I am with the most perfect woman on the Earth," he said, smiling,"I love you, Liv, and I want to spend every day proving and showing that to you," he said.

Olivia kissed him deeply,"I love you, too, El," she said, looking at their half finished plates,"You know, the kids aren't expecting us home until 11," she said,"It's only 9," she continued, her eyes taking a a sultry tint. "Maybe, we could head to my apartment. It's empty..." Olivia trailed off.

Elliot looked at her, his eyes widening,"Are you sure we aren't moving to fast? I mean, not that I wouldn't love to, but I just don't want to rush you or anything," he rambled.

Olivia silenced him with a heated kiss,"Come on," she said simply, pushing him out of the booth. Elliot chuckled as he put the money down on the table to cover their bill, and a tip, before taking her hand, and pulling her towards the car.

He couldn't wait to finally make love to her, and he only had two hours to do it as many times as he could, so he was in a hurry, but it didn't bother Olivia, because she was too.

* * *

**Awh! Next up, Cassidy stirs up some serious trouble.**


	15. Chapter 15

Olivia and Elliot walked into the squad room the next morning, and everyone could tell that something was different about them. Elliot was whistling, and he had an obvious new swagger in his step. Olivia was just glowing. Her eyes were brighter than they had ever been before, and she could not stop smiling.

"What's up with you two?" Fin asked, watching as they each happily set their cups of coffee down on their desks, and, somehow in synch, sat down at the same time, across from each other.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked curiously.

"There's something off about you two," Fin said.

Elliot shrugged,"I guess we both just had a good morning," he said simply, turning his attention to the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

He was just picking up a pen to get started, when Cragen walked out of his office,"Benson, Stabler, you've got a sexual assault in progress. Go," he ordered, handing them a piece of paper with the address on it.

Olivia and Elliot both hopped out of their chairs, and Elliot grabbed the slip from Cragen, before they ran out of the squadroom, opting for the stairs, instead of the elevator.

They arrived at the building in five minutes, do to Elliot's fast, reckless driving, and they both hopped out of the car as it came to a stop in front of the building, basically on the sidewalk. Olivia busted in the front door, which was boarded up, and both of them had their guns drawn by the time the door hit the floor.

"Maybe we should split up," Olivia suggested as they checked the room right by door.

Elliot shook his head,"No way, I don't like this. I've got a bad feeling about this," he said as they moved into the next room, guns and flashlights drawn.

By the time they made it to the last room, they were both convinced it was a prank call,"Nothing," Olivia said, shining her flashlight around the room.

"I drove like a fucking maniac for nothing," Elliot said, giving a hard sigh.

"Well not for nothing. I do appreciate you rushing. This building is kind of creepy, and waiting here all by myself fucking sucked," Brian Cassidy said, entering the room, gun drawn, and trained on Elliot. "I would put that gun down, Olivia. I think we both know I have no problem shooting Elliot," he said, keeping his gaze fixed on Elliot.

Olivia kept her gun on Cassidy,"Cassidy, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was the one who called in the sexual assault in progress. I was hoping they would send you with Fin or Munch, that would have made this much easier, but this is fine, too," Brian explained, shrugging.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Olivia asked.

"Come on, Olivia," Cassidy said, waving her over with one hand, using the other to keep his gun trained on Elliot,"Now," he added.

Olivia laughed,"You are out of your fucking mind if you think that I am going anywhere with you. I am not scared to shoot you, either Cassidy. Put the damn gun down," she said.

Cassidy shook his head,"No, Olivia. You don't understand. I need you, and he's the only one standing in my way. If you won't go willingly, than I will take away the only thing standing in the way of having you, and then I will just take you," he said, cocking the trigger.

"Brian, I am giving you one more chance to put down the fucking gun," Olivia warned.

Brian shook his head,"I can't, Liv, I can't," he said, cocking the trigger.

Olivia fired three shots, one of them hitting Brian in the hand, forcing him to drop his gun, and one going through each of his knees. Olivia immediately turned to Elliot, pulling him into her arms,"Are you ok?" she asked, pulling away and checking him for injuries.

Elliot nodded,"I'm fine, and I am never putting my gun away before we get back in the car again," he said, chuckling a bit.

Olivia chuckled as well, wiping a tear out of her eye before it had the chance to fall,"I love you," she whispered, kissing him quickly, before turning around, and walking to Cassidy while Elliot called for an ambulance. Olivia bent down next to Cassidy, picking up the gun that he had dropped,"You're not getting out of it this time, asshole. You are going to jail, where you belong," she said, smirking at him.

It didn't take long for the ambulance to get there, and Cassidy was loaded up, and brought to the hospital quickly, leaving Olivia and Elliot to make their way back to the squadroom after their statements were taken by the officers that were assigned the case.

They walked into the squadroom, and Cragen was waiting for them,"Benson, Stabler, my office," he called, motioning for them to follow them into his office.

Olivia sighed as they walked into the office, shutting the door behind them,"What's up, Cap?" she asked, taking a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of Cragen's desk, watching as Elliot sat in the second chair.

"I have done a lot of thinking about, this," Cragen said, pointing from one of them to the other.

"And?" Elliot prompted.

"I'm keeping you together," Cragen said, holding up a hand, telling them not to get too excited,"I talked to IAB, and, though Ed Tucker is an ass, and I will probably owe him for the rest of my career, you two can stay together," he said.

"What, why did you do this for us, Cap? Not that I'm complaining, I'm just asking," Elliot questioned.

Cragen sighed,"Elliot, we both knew what happens when you don't work with Olivia. You get pissy, and no one wants to work with you. Also, after everything that has happened to you guys in the past week, I just don't feel like splitting you guys up would be good for either of you," he said.

Olivia gave him a small smile,"Thanks, Cap," she said simply.

Cragen nodded,"You two, go home. You've had a crazy day," he ordered.

Elliot nodded, standing up and pulling Olivia up with him,"Thanks again, Cap," he said, opening the door to the office.

"You two are still on call tonight," Cragen called after them as they left the room.

Olivia chuckled as Elliot pulled her into the elevator,"Of course," she called in return just as the doors to the elevator closed.

Cragen shook his head, thinking about what he had promised Ed he would do in return for letting them stay partners.

* * *

**Next up, a relaxing night at home with the kids, until it's interrupted. By what, though? Also, what did Cragen promise Ed he would do?**


	16. Chapter 16

Olivia and Elliot walked into the house, and it was a good thing that the kids were at school and Eli was at daycare, because the moment the door shut behind them, Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms and attached his lips to her neck, causing her to moan loudly. "El, what-" Olivia started to ask as Elliot pushed her into his bedroom.

Elliot detached his lips from her neck and looked her in the eyes, wrapping his arms around her waist,"Baby, if, if Munch or Fin had gone with you today, instead of me, for whatever reason, I could have lost you. If one of them would have gone with you, they would have said ok when you said to split up. You would have split up, and Cassidy could have gotten you. I just, I need you right now, Liv." he said.

Olivia simply nodded,"Ok El, I'm right here. You have me," she assured him, kissing him deeply as the layers of clothing began to be removed from their bodies.

* * *

Back at the precinct, Cragen had called Munch into his office. "I don't understand, Cap. Why do you have to do this?" Munch asked, watching as Cragen put his personal items into a box.

Cragen shook his head,"It was the only way Tucker would let them stay together, and I had to make sure that they could stay together. I have no clue why this is what he wanted, but it really isn't that much of a sacrifice. I was considering retirement, anyway," he replied.

"But what if Tucker just goes back on what he said, and just splits them up anyway, and you retired for nothing?" Munch asked.

Cragen chuckled,"Come on, Munch. Give me more credit than that. I made sure I got it in writing, made copies of it, and filed it all away. If he goes back on his word, he will get fired, and I will be able to come back, but I doubt Tucker would be that stupid. You won't be Captain forever, I"m sure Tucker will find someone to replace me pretty quickly," he assured him.

Munch sighed,"Why do you think they need to stay together so badly?" he asked, folding his arms, feeling a bit of resentment towards his coworkers for the sacrifice that his boss, or former boss, was making for them, without them even knowing yet.

Cragen shook his head,"They need to keep each other safe. No one can protect Olivia any better than Elliot can, and no one can protect Elliot any better than Olivia can," he said.

Munch sighed,"And you really think this was worth your job?" he asked.

Cragen nodded,"Their safety is much more important than my career, which, like I already said, was probably ending pretty soon anyway," he said, picking up the cardboard box that he had filled with his personal items.

"Are you going to tell them, or are you just going to let them come in tomorrow to find Captain Munch sitting behind the desk?" Munch asked as he followed Cragen out of what was now his office.

Cragen shrugged,"If I tell them, they will try to convince me to back to Tucker and go back on the deal. It's better for everyone if they are just met with quite a surprise when they come in tomorrow," he said.

Munch sighed,"Well, we'll all miss you, Cap," he said, receiving a nod of agreement from Fin.

Cragen smiled sadly at them,"Good luck, guys, and, Munch, don't let Tucker run over you like the fucking bulldozer that he is. Don't be afraid to stick up to him," he instructed.

Munch nodded,"Yes sir," he said, before watching his former captain walking out of the precinct, possibly for the last time.

* * *

Olivia and Elliot had made love three times, before crawling out of bed, and putting on some sweats and t-shirts. Now,Olivia was in the kitchen making dinner, with the help of Elliot, as the kids made their way into the house.

"Hey guys," Olivia greeted as she heard the front door open, and the bickering of Lizzie and Dickie, along with the whines of Eli for "his Livvie".

Eli was the first to come running into the kitchen, launching himself at Olivia,"Livvie!" he yelled as she scooped him into his arms, dropping the spoon that she had been stirring the spaghetti sauce with into the pot of sauce.

"Hi baby," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Pasghetti?" Eli asked excitedly, looking over Olivia's shoulder at the hamburger meet sizzling, the noodles boiling, and the sauce simmering.

Olivia chuckled,"Yeah, baby, we're having spaghetti for dinner," she said, kissing his forehead, before setting him back on the ground as Kathleen walked into the room, grabbing a can of soda out of the fridge.

"All they ever do is fight, I swear," Kathleen said, rolling her eyes as the twins walked in, arguing, proving her point.

"No, you idiot, I will not write your English essay," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes as she too grabbed a soda from the fridge.

Elliot and Olivia spoke at the same time,"Lizzie, don't call your brother an idiot, and Dickie, do your own English essay," they said together, causing everyone in the room to chuckle.

They were about to continue talking, when Elliot and Olivia's phones chirped from the other room,"Shit," they said, once again together, as they walked into the other room and answered in synch.

They both sighed,"Ok Munch, we'll be right there," Olivia said, hanging up.

"Alright Fin, be be there soon," Elliot said, hanging up as well.

"I was really looking forward to a night at home," Olivia grumbled as she shut the door so they could change.

Elliot pulled her in for a sweet kiss,"We're not on call tomorrow night. We'll get to spend tomorrow evening at home with the kids, I promise," he assured her.

Olivia smiled at him,"Ok, baby," she said, sighing as she walked to the closet to get out a suit,"We really need to get some more of my stuff from my apartment," she said.

Elliot shrugged as he peeled his shirt off, buttoning a dress shirt up,"Why do you even still need your apartment? I mean, I know it's kind of fast, but I don't know, why don't you just move in?" he asked.

Olivia looked at him for a moment,"But, I'll be breaking my lease," she said, buttoning up her own dress shirt.

Elliot shrugged again,"Your deposit wasn't that big. I just,, I really don't know what I'll do without you here with me every moment of every day. I just really need you here with me, baby," he said.

Olivia smiled at him, walking over to him, and kissing him softly,"I'll move in," she said once she pulled away.

Elliot smiled,"I love you so much, baby," he said, kissing her again.

Olivia smiled against his lips,"I love you, baby. Now let's finish getting ready," she said.

* * *

**Next up, Olivia and Elliot find out what Cragen did for them. And, why did Tucker want Cragen to retire?**


	17. Chapter 17

Olivia and Elliot walked into the squadroom after two hours spent at the crime scene, and Olivia went straight to the whiteboard to start mapping out what they had, while Elliot headed to the coffee pot to pour two cups.

"This doesn't taste like sludge," Elliot noted as he took a sip from his mug, handing Olivia hers.

Olivia took a sip of her own, before setting it down on her desk,"He's right," she said,"Who made it?"

Fin raised his hand from his desk,"Me," he said simply.

Elliot turned to look at him when he said that, and noticed Munch's empty desk,"Hey, where's all of Munch's stuff?" he asked curiously, causing Olivia to turn around and look at the empty desk as well.

"I'm gonna' let him answer that one. You can find him in his new office," Fin said, pointing towards the Captain's office.

"His new office?" Olivia questioned, looking at Elliot curiously as they both walked into the office, to find Munch sitting behind the desk, working on some paper work.

"What's up, guys?" Munch asked casually.

"I think you're the one who needs to answer that question," Elliot said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of the desk, watching as Olivia did the same.

Munch sighed, putting his head in his hands,"I wish Cap would have told you this himself," he complained.

"Told us what, Munch? What the fuck is going on?" Olivia asked.

"Um, it's actually Captain Munch," Munch replied simply.

Both Olivia and Elliot's jaws dropped,"What? What happened to Cragen?" Olivia asked.

Their new captain sighed,"Tucker made him retire, in order to keep you two partners. He packed up and left while you guys were at home," he answered honestly.

"So, you're the Captain now?" Elliot asked, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Cragen retired, and that he did it for them.

Munch nodded,"Until Tucker can find a permanent replacement," he replied.

Olivia shook her head,"Why would he do this for us?" she asked.

Munch shrugged,"We're like his family, guys. He would do anything for any of us, especially you two. You two are like the fucking chosen ones. You're the best team this cities got, and whether Tucker wants to admit it or not, Cragen knew that we need you two together, and that's why he retired," he said.

Olivia shook her head,"So he just willingly gave up his career, just to keep us together?" she asked, still not believing it.

Munch nodded,"That's what I've been saying for the last five minutes," he said.

Olivia nodded,"Sorry, I'm just having a hard time believing it," she said.

"Hey, why don't you guys go talk to him? Fin and I can take care of this case for a few hours," Munch suggested.

Elliot nodded, standing up,"Thanks, uh, Cap," he said, ignoring how weird it felt. Elliot led the way out of the office, out of the squadroom, and out of the building, with Olivia right behind him the entire way.

"I can't believe he would do this for us," Olivia said, shaking her head as she slid into the passenger seat.

Elliot sighed as he started the car,"I can," he said simply,"He's always looked out for us."

Olivia nodded,"Yeah, but this is more than just looking out for us, El. He gave up his career for us," she said.

Elliot shrugged,"Think about it, Liv. He's getting up there. Retirement was probably pretty close for him, anyway," he said.

Olivia sighed,"I guess you're right," she said, looking out the window.

Elliot chuckled, getting his phone out of his pocket,"I'm gonna' need you to repeat that, so I can record it. That's gonna' be my new ring tone," he said teasingly.

Olivia chuckled and slapped his arm playfully, rolling her eyes,"You're an ass," she said.

"You love my ass," Elliot said, earning another playful hit from Olivia.

"Maybe a little bit," Olivia said with a wink, as Elliot pulled into their former captain's driveway.

Elliot took a deep breath as he pulled the keys out of the ignition,"You gonna' be ok in there?" he asked.

Olivia nodded,"I just want to know why he did it," she said simply,"I'll be fine."

Elliot leaned across the console, placing a gentle kiss to her lips,"I love you, Liv," he said softly against her lips.

Olivia smiled, pressing her lips to his once more, before pulling away,"I love you, too," she said, taking a deep breath as she opened her car door, not aware that she was not prepared for what she was about to hear, at all.


	18. Chapter 18

Olivia and Elliot walked up to the front door, and Elliot knocked loudly, before wrapping both of his arms around Olivia, getting a start on the comforting that he knew she would need before this conversation was over.

It didn't take long before the door swung open, revealing Cragen, looking slightly disheveled. He sighed as he saw who was on his door step, knowing that they would be paying him a visit, but not expecting it to be this soon,"What's up guys?" he asked casually.

"What's up guys?" Olivia repeated, confused at the casualty of his greeting.

Cragen sighed,"Come in," he said, stepping aside to let his former detectives enter the house.

"Why?" Olivia asked simply, sitting down on her former captain's couch.

Cragen cleared his throat,"To protect you," he said simply.

"Cap," Elliot started, taking a seat next to Olivia and discreetly wrapping, his arm and her waist,"We'd rather you be there, and us have to work with different people, than you have to retire," he said.

Cragen shook his head,"You two need to work with each other, to protect each other, and I know that. Now you guys don't have to worry about being split up, because if Tucker even thinks about it, he loses his job and I will be back," he replied.

Olivia shook her head,"What if they stick us with some incompetent asshole?" she asked.

Cragen chuckled,"They probably will, but I have confidence in my detectives. You guys know what your doing," he said.

Elliot shook his head,"We're so sorry, Cap," he said sadly, squeezing Olivia closer to him.

Cragen waved his hand dismissively,"I was thinking about retiring soon anyway, guys, don't worry about it," he assured them,"Just, um, tell me. How serious is this thing?" he asked, gesturing to the two of them.

Elliot nodded, grabbing one of Olivia's hands with the one of his that wasn't wrapped around her waist and caressing the side of her hand lightly with his thumb,"It's serious. We're very serious," he said.

Olivia nodded in agreement, adding,"It's relatively new, but you know how impatient Stabler is," she said, nudging Elliot with her elbow and chuckling.

Cragen chuckled as he watched the two share a sweet kiss, and he cleared his throat,"Well, that's all I needed to know. You two should probably get back to work, right?" he asked.

Elliot shrugged,"I think they have it covered, but we do need to get home to the kids," he said, looking down at his watch.

Olivia nodded, standing up,"Thank you, Don. For everything," she said, hugging the older man tightly, before leading the way to the door, not looking back, knowing that Elliot was right behind her.

Elliot waited until they got in the car, before asking,"You ok, baby?"

Olivia sighed,"Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to go home," she said.

Elliot smiled, taking her hand in his,"Ok, honey," he said, kissing each of her knuckles, before putting the car in drive.

When they walked in the front door, having called Munch on the way back to the house to let him know that they hadn't gotten any valuable information from Cragen and being given the rest of the night off, they were met with a sight that warmed both of their hearts. Eli was in a playpen in the living room, watching TV, while Kathleen, Lizzie, and Dickie were in the kitchen, beginning to cook dinner.

"What are you guys up to?" Olivia asked, smiling as she led the way into the kitchen.

Kathleen turned around from the stove where she had just set a frying pan out, looking like a deer caught in headlights,"What are you guys doing home so early?" she asked.

Elliot and Olivia both chuckled,"We got the night off," Elliot said,"Are you guys cooking dinner?" he continued.

Lizzie looked at Kathleen and Dickie, who had both obviously nominated her to be the speaker for the three of them,"Yeah, we know things have been kind of rough for you guys lately, and we just thought that we would make dinner tonight and you guys could relax," she explained.

Elliot smiled from his place behind Olivia, resting his chin on her shoulder,"That's very sweet of you guys, but you don't have to do that. We can cook dinner," he assured the kids.

Lizzie shook her head,"No, really, we want to. Please, just go sit down and watch some TV or something."

Elliot sighed,"Ok, but let us know if you need anything," he said, taking Olivia's hand and pulling her out of the kitchen, towards their bedroom, hearing Kathleen yelling after them that they could handle dinner, and that they weren't kids anymore.

"I need to call my landlord," Olivia said, closing the door behind him and making her way to the one of the dresser drawers that she had taken over to grab a pair sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Elliot nodded,"We can go get your stuff on Sunday. We can bring all of your clothes and small stuff here, but we'll probably have to get a storage unit for your furniture, unless you want to sell it," he said, shedding his dress shirt and pulling a t-shirt on.

Olivia shrugged,"We can just sell it," she decided, slipping her work pants off and sliding on a pair of sweatpants.

Elliot nodded, hopping into his sweatpants before walking over to her, kissing her forehead, both of her cheeks, and finally her lips,"Are you sure? I mean, if we break up and you have to move out you won't have any furniture," he said with a smirk.

Olivia rolled her eyes,"Well, I'm not very worried about that. You can't live without me and you know it," she said playfully, smiling as she kissed him again.

"I do know it," Elliot said, deepening the kiss, turning the mood from playful to serious. They broke apart, though, when they heard Eli whining from the living room.

Back at the precinct, Fin had just instructed an officer to bring the man who had just confessed to rape to booking as Tucker walked in. "Where's Benson and Stabler?" Tucker asked, not really directing the question towards anyone.

"I gave them the rest of the night off," Munch said, coming out of his office,"Why?" he asked.

Tucker shook his head,"I need you to call them back here, I need to talk to them," he said.  
"About what?" Munch asked.

"Their relationship. Just get them down here," Tucker said impatiently.

Munch glanced at Fin, before shaking his head cautiously,"They will be back in tomorrow," he said simply, turning and walking into his office, shutting the door behind him. He had a hunch on what Tucker was going to say to them, and he had a phone call to make.


End file.
